The Top 10 Moments from SEO Week 2025
Francine Monahan
December 18, 2025
“Do not minimize this moment,” Mike King told the crowd at the start of SEO Week 2025. “This is our opportunity to be better, to be more effective.”
When the nearly 40 speakers each took the stage at our inaugural SEO conference in New York City last April, they all brought different ideas, perspectives, and experiences to the over 450 attendees. People left with usable tips, tangible frameworks, and valuable connections and contacts.
So much happened over the course of those four days. If you were there, you may not remember it all. And if you didn’t go, you don’t even know how much you missed.
That’s where this article comes in. We’re going to document the top 10 best moments from SEO Week 2025 to help you remember the last one and get you excited for the next one coming April 27 to 30, 2026 (early bird tickets on sale now).
Let’s see why many attendees called this the best SEO conference they’ve ever attended.
10 Best Moments from the First SEO Week
The first SEO Week gave us innovative speakers, fancy coffee, great food, amazing live music, and so much more. We’ve narrowed down the 10 best moments from this FOMO-inducing event. If you attended, let us know if you agree or have other moments to add:
10. The Fanciest Coffee Around
Our friends at AirOps (presenting sponsors of SEO Week 2026) were kind enough to sponsor a coffee stand in the main presentation area, but it wasn’t just any coffee. They featured iced coffee, espresso, and lattes with digitized art created in the foam. A mechanized arm would lift the coffee into the machine, and a computer would imprint the AirOps logo in the foam on top of the drink. It was a nice nerdy touch to an already pretty nerdy conference.
The cart almost constantly had a line of people waiting to refuel between sessions, so it’s clear it was a hit. But when you really think about it, when isn’t coffee a hit?
9. Greg Gifford’s 3D Presentation
If you happened to walk into the room during the presentation by Greg Gifford on “The Three Dimensions of Local Search,” you would’ve seen hundreds of people wearing 3D glasses.
Greg’s presentation emphasized the critical role of a company’s website, Google Business Profile, and customer reviews in influencing local search visibility. Gifford used numerous movie references to engage the audience while stressing the importance of high-quality, conversational, and localized content to stand out from competitors, particularly by addressing the information needs of customers.
He also offered practical advice on optimizing your Google Business Profile, managing the review process (including burying negative reviews), and using his Local SEO Scoring Matrix as a basic tactical audit tool to improve performance. The presentation even briefly addressed the impact of AI systems, noting that local search remained relatively stable at that time, and highlighting the significance of building local relevance through community-focused blog content.
8. Phil Nottingham’s Video Entrance
No one seamlessly blends SEO and video quite like Phil Nottingham. His presentation, “YouTube Keyword Research 2.0,” blurred the line between video and reality when he began it on the streets of Times Square in New York City, and then ended up on stage.
His talk advocated for a shift in focus from traditional text-based SEO to video SEO, specifically on YouTube. Phil argued that while many marketers are preoccupied with platforms like ChatGPT and text-based content, they are underestimating the massive search and influence power of YouTube.
Phil detailed a new, data-driven methodology for YouTube keyword research that relies on using publicly available data, like video view counts and age, to calculate a “median monthly view velocity,” which he said is a far more reliable indicator of demand than unreliable third-party keyword volume estimates.
This methodology includes scraping YouTube data to determine optimal video length, format, and competitor performance, allowing content creators to develop a confident and effective YouTube strategy, supported by a free, comprehensive tool he has created at his company, Organic Video.
7. Projection Mapping Through Vector Space
One of the biggest advantages of the SEO Week 2025 venue, Lavan 641 in Midtown NYC, was its projection-mapping capabilities. Presentations were projected onto all three walls of the room, with some presenters taking advantage of this by adding movement and animations to their slides.
This interactive way to present was a feast for the eyes and was much more interesting than staring at a simple slide deck. One of the best examples of its use was when Mike King took the guests through vector space.
Mike was able to illustrate what a search looks like on the web traveling between embeddings in vector space from the most relevant term to the least. It definitely put most conference presentations to shame.
6. Introduction to Relevance Engineering
Mike King’s Relevance Engineering, the cornerstone of iPullRank’s SEO and AI Search offerings, was fully unleashed on the industry at SEO Week 2025. Relevance Engineering is the art and science of improving visibility for any search surface. It’s the confluence of information retrieval, content strategy, user experience, artificial intelligence, measurement, and digital PR.
Mike’s presentation argued that the traditional, checklist-based approach to SEO is obsolete due to the rapid evolution of search technology, particularly the integration of Generative AI, and the out-of-date nature of most SEO tools today.
AI Overviews are changing how users interact with search, leading to a decline in organic traffic for many sites, so Mike suggested that professionals adopt a more scientifically rigorous, engineering-focused methodology to influence search results effectively.
5. Guided Meditations
Throughout the whirlwind of constant presentations, parties, music, and networking, we made sure there were a few moments of peace for everyone to recenter. Dina Kaplan of The Path provided guests with guided meditations during break periods. She helped attendees refocus their energy, feel calm, and reenergize for the rest of the day.
And with the addition of beautiful mountain scenes projecting across the walls and soft music playing in the background, Dina created the perfect meditative vibe.
4. The DemandSphere Event
On the second night of SEO Week, our friends at DemandSphere threw a party at Studio 23 that was a big hit with attendees. SEO pros gathered to connect, share ideas, and have some fun with food and drinks in a cool atmosphere.
CEO Ray Grieselhuber hosted a panel with SEO and marketing experts Zach Chahalis, Ian Lurie, and Jori Ford that was both engaging and entertaining. They covered everything from the evolution of SEO strategy to the growing role of AI and Relevance Engineering. The mix of perspectives sparked fresh thinking, and the crowd’s questions added a whole new layer of depth. The panel had a great rapport, and attendees were enthralled.
My colleague, Heather Ferris, attended the party and had this to say: “It was really pretty fun. People were super upbeat, laughing, and having a great time.”
3. Redman’s “Sayo Week”
SEO Week began with a “phone call” from rapper Redman, greeting the crowd and introducing (and kind of roasting) Mike King. However, since the rapper was pretty unfamiliar with the SEO industry and what SEO is in general, he had no idea how to actually pronounce SEO.
Thus, Sayo Week was born, and now we have an inside joke for the ages.
He offered some encouraging words as well, though, before inviting the attendees to smoke some weed with him.
“Time to level up,” he said. “And who’s gonna bring you to that level? My boy, Mike King.”
2. Mike King Taking the Stage
In case you’ve been living in a cave under a rock, with your eyes shut and your fingers in your ears, you’d know by now that Mike King isn’t just an SEO expert. He’s also a professional rapper.
Mike hit the stage at the Algorhythms Afterparty at HK Hall to show the crowd his other skills on the mic. We jumped, danced, and cheered as he took over the stage with some support from his friend DJ Flip.
It’s always inspiring to hear Mike King talk SEO at a conference, but seeing him rap on stage is a whole different experience that’s not to be missed.
1. Busta Rhymes Headlining
Although he showed up a bit late, Algorhythms Afterparty headliner Busta Rhymes put on an amazing show. He busted out all his hits (pun intended) while the packed venue happily sang along. And as someone who was standing at the front for much of his show, it was clear to see he was having a good time as well.
In fact, Busta was feeling the crowd so much that he stayed way longer than his planned timeslot, performing a 90-minute show for the screaming fans. He even played a few new, unheard songs as well.
It was definitely an incredible end to an incredible week in New York, and one that attendees certainly won’t forget. Now we just have to figure out how to top it in 2026.
Are You Ready for SEO Week 2026?
Now that you’ve refreshed your memory or seen what you missed, it’s time to look forward to SEO Week 2026. It’ll be held April 27-30 at Center 415 in New York City. Do you have your tickets yet? Early bird pricing will expire in the new year, so now is the time to claim your spot.
If you need help convincing your boss to send you, we’ve got an article with email templates you can send to make a strong argument.
Do you think you have what it takes to take the stage at SEO Week? We’ve also got an open call for speakers to pitch us their ideas. The winner will get a 30-minute speaking slot alongside the industry’s finest. The deadline is January 31, so get to work!
Aside from all that, grab your tickets, and we’ll see you in April for what’s guaranteed to be another industry-changing event for all involved. Let’s all level up together.
In the words of Mike King: “The future of search requires us to be intentional in order to run the show, not just be the show.”
SECURE
YOUR PLACE
at SEO Week 2026
Tickets are limited. Prices increase as tiers sell out.
This is where real progress happens. The people building the next phase of AI Search will be in the room. Be one of them.
SECURE YOUR PLACE at SEO Week 2026
Tickets are limited. Prices increase as tiers sell out.
This is where real progress happens. The people building the next phase of AI Search will be in the room. Be one of them.